I recently turned 54 years old and I’ve lived with Parkinson’s Disease for nearly 10 years now. Technically, I was officially diagnosed with Young Onset PD at age 45 in May of 2018 by Dr. Robert Hauser at the University of South Florida. Hauser is a leading international Parkinson’s doctor; particularly regarding PD research. Although, I lived with PD for at least 2 years without knowing that this debilitating disease was existing within my mind and body. Two, different neurologists misdiagnosed me as not having PD; one neurologist stated I suffered from an essential tremor and the other said I had an enhanced tremor. One of the neurologists actually told me that with 100% certainty, I did not have Parkinson’s because I only displayed physical symptoms on one side of my body; left side. I discovered a very short time thereafter that PD typically starts as physical symptoms only on one side of a person’s body.
I dedicated my entire life, both personally and professionally, to living a healthy lifestyle. It all began as a youth growing up in Upstate New York aka the Capital District; specifically Scotia. As a family, we lived a healthy lifestyle, which was provided to my sister & I by our parents. We had a family membership at the local YMCA in Scotia for exercise & social interaction. This type of lifestyle involved various aspects including healthy nutrition, high quality sleep, mindful learning, natural supplements, and of course, exercise. Since then, I’ve had a lifelong passion for healthy living. A critical component of living in such a way for me has always been Exercise. Until I needed to begin taking medication for PD, I never took any medication for any reason for the first 45 years of my life. My wife & I originally met at a Health Club. My career of 20-30 years has been as a Fitness Coach/Professional. My professional roles have included: Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, & Yoga Instructor. I never believed that I would ever be afflicted with such a major neurological disease as Parkinson’s. However, when I quickly learned a short time after being diagnosed with PD that the #1 Most Powerful Natural Medicine to battle this disease with and slows its progression, was Exercise, I thought to myself, “PD, you choose the wrong mind/body to infiltrate!”
I firmly believe that Physical Exercise is the single, most powerful medicine of any type, in order to battle Parkinson’s Disease. As a person living with PD, taking just 30 minutes everyday or on most days for exercising at moderate to even light levels of exertion is so beneficial for PD patients. This physical exercise can take the form of many faces such walking/jogging/running, bicycling, hiking, using indoor cardio machines/strength training machines, swimming, indoor/outdoor fitness classes, stretching, yoga, pilates, & more. Scientifically speaking, any form of physical activity increases the dopamine production in our brain which is so lacking for us PD Warriors. Thus, during physical activity, the 3 major physical symptoms- tremors, muscle stiffness, and slowness of movement- are minimized. Mentally and emotionally, physical exercise is beneficial for PD patients by creating a sense of mental focus and calm. Physical exercise can help improve quality of sleep as well for some PD patients.
By Chris Aldi, MS, CPT
PD Warrior
Capital District Lifer
